When you prepare for shabbos friday afternoon, do you clean everything, or do you leav the toys and some small stuff for aftershabbos starts, since you could clean it up later? lately, im like, why clean up all the legos and toys if I can do it after lighting, im gnna focus on the stuff I cant do...

I love a clean house from top to bottm, but it just dosnt always happen

shayna82, I was going to post the same thing today!!!
I like when EVERYTHING is clean and organized before Shabbos! The bedrooms, bathroom, laundry folded and put away, no dishes in the sink...
So allllllll day I'm cleaning, doing laundry...but there is always ONE more thing! It's never ending. I need to take it easy...yes, sometimes there are things left over, and sometimes I can put them away after lighting. If not, I'll make a neat pile of things that need to be taken care of and make sure to keep out of site(so I dont think bout them on Shabbos). A little perfectionist If I may say so myself
but it's so nice to light, sit back and relax while I look around and see how much I accomplished
Good Shabbos!

I usually do my cooking and finish the majority of washing on Thursday. I have a cleaner Friday morning, and all I really have to do is tidy up the home and put away dishes. It is much easier and that way I go into Shabbos relaxed!

I usually do my cooking and finish the majority of washing on Thursday. I have a cleaner Friday morning, and all I really have to do is tidy up the home and put away dishes. It is much easier and that way I go into Shabbos relaxed!

don't make me jealous.
especially being in my 9th month...I came home from work Friday sooo tired. I got done basic cleaning and put the cholent up (rest of cooking I did Thurs night or bought)...but there were a few dishes I couldn't get to before Shabbos. So I stacked them neatly to the side....
What can you do? Just take it easy and realize it's ok if there are legos on the floor! (better than dishes in the sink, no??)

I bought a dishwasher for the one reason that it was cheaper than a cabinet. I normally do not use it for various reasons. However, it's a great help for hiding the last minute pots and dishes erev shabbos, and the dirty dishes on shabbos!

There is always one point on friday afternoon that I look around and tell myself "there is absolutely no way that everything is going to get done" and then I relax knowing that it's out of my hands. Once I'm calm, I start working one thing at a time, and then lo and behold, most things are done, and I don't feel bad about the rest because I already mentally gave up on them.

About the toys, I try to have all the toys put away in their right container, on the right shelf, etc, once a week, before shabbos. But if that doesn't happen then I do it after shabbos. Try not to get into a rigid routine because then you'll be dissapointed when it doesn't work out.

I have recently begun to shift some of my weekly tasks from erev shabbos to other times of the week.(wish I'd thought of it years ago!) for example, there is no reason why I must water the plants on friday. I shop and cook as much as possible as early as possible during the week. Ditto for washing and ironing shabbos clothes or sending them to the cleaners.

I put candles in the leichter as soon as shabbos is out. (This also guarantees that I will not find myself without candles Friday afternoon. If I need more, I know about it moyzoei shabbos and can buy during the week.)

as we eat in the kitchen during the week and in the LR on Shabbos, we sometimes set the table for shabbos on thursday night and cover it with a clean sheet to keep off the dust. (That depends on dh first removing his work materials and files from said table--which he usually does Friday morning!)

no matter what I do, though, I am almost always running around like a maniac just before licht benchen. there is always just one more thing to straighten, adjust, stow, stash, polish, hide, switch on, switch off, throw in, throw out...

My husband and I decided that we must make changes to our friday routine for us to go into shabbos in a sane manner. This trail week number one Everyday we each have to do something for shabbos and tell the other about it so that by the time friday rolls around we (hopefully will be done). I hope this works. 8)

willow, I like that idea. let us know how it goes.
I have come to a point where I do what needs to be done before Shabbos then, and if it can wait until after licht bentchen, then it waits. I do the dishes (as much as I can) make sure laundry is done, muktzah is away, everyone is bathers, etc. And I put just a tablecloth on the table. After I light, I set my kids down with a specific Shabbos book. I sit on the recliner and put my feet up. When they are done reading the book, it is time for me to get up and start setting the table. They like to help as well, but they aren't allowed to until their toys are straightened up and contained to a designated "messy" play area (I'm trying to be realistic!) They usually work quickly so that they can help with the table. Then I still have some time to daven and relax again before dh comes home from shul. (It does help that shul is almost a mile from home so I have more time before he comes home than others may)
This is not my ideal Friday, but it gets the job done without me going absolutely crazy

Because I work on Thursday night, I have to be organised. So if I want to cook anything 'fancy' then it has to be finished by Thursday. I leave a minimum of cooking for Friday (usually no more than 2/3 dishes and the cholent) and I do the basic cleaning.

isn't it funny that in the summer there is also never enough time?
well, if it makes things easier and calmer, just know that this past week and this coming week are the earliet shabbosim and thenthey start getting a little longer, hey every minute counts, no?

My friend made a permanent checklist of her regular erev shabbos tasks: showers, bedmaking, floor washing, light switches taped on/off, timers set, water boiled, tea sense made, toilet paper cut, air-conditioner/fan/heater set etc. etc.
She prints out a new one each week and then crosses out whatever does not apply that week and adds whatever specific details she needs.

don't make me jealous.
especially being in my 9th month...I came home from work Friday sooo tired

thats why when you are late in pregnancy its a good idea to have a cleaning lady its just too hard otherwise!!

I do all my cooking thursday night and some cleaning. I also change the linens on thursday. On friday, I wash and put away all the laundry (thanks to dh help with the folding) and I clean the whole house. I do have a cleaning lady every other week so that makes it alot easier those times!! I def suggest not leaving everything to the last minute because thats just too crazy. Like, if you make challah, making it on wednesday is a good idea! (even if you like it fresh you can just make the dough..)